Cheque Fraud

Thought i would share a story with you on cheque fraud.

Back in June, i listed a projector on Gumtree that i wanted to sell. I ordered the wrong model and.... well... you don't need to know the details. A few weeks after posting the advert i was contacted by 'James Robinson' who wanted to buy the projector for £650. His email was in broken English and raised my suspicions immediately. He promised a cheque was on its way so i waited for it to arrive. Weeks passed... no cheque.

Ah well, i thought. Not to worry. Then, on the 18th of August, i received another mail from him stating that the cheque was on its way to me. I acknowledged the mail and gave it no more thought.

Monday morning comes and the postman has a letter for me. Without giving the envelope a second look i ripped it open to be greeted with a cheque for £2500. Nice!

Well, as the cheque was from the Transport and General Workers Union, it left me puzzled. Then i noticed that the top and bottom edges of the cheque looked like they had been cut (badly) with scissors. The envelope had a 25 Ruble stamp on it. The cheque from the TGWU had been sent from Russia!!!

I immediately spoke to my bank for advice and then contacted the TGWU. We all agreed that the cheque was fake, despite looking very genuine. Perforated left edge, fancy designed background image, ACCURATE SORT CODE AND ACCOUNT NUMBER and a stamped signature box.

To satisfy my mind that the cheque had come from 'James Robinson', i sent a short mail to say that a cheque had arrived. The confirmation came in his next reply. I have copied it below for your amusement.

Hello Kevan,

Good Day and How is your day going? i hope you are fine and alright. i
got your mailing address and There is something i think i must bring
to your notice. After a reconciliation of my gram ma`s account today,
She discovered that somehow her trustee must have over paid you. The
Amount that was meant for her insurances company was sent to you.
however i want to believe i won't have a problem with you. i believed
that i can trust you with her money. All you have to do when you
received the payment is to have it cash at your bank after cashing
you'll deduct your required amount for keeping the item in my favor
and also the extra 30 pounds i offer you,and send the remaining
balance to the shipping company account manager via Western Union
Money Transfer Service. Because It is the policy of the Global Express
Cargo Service to receive payment before coming for the pickup. You
have to please bear with me as it is the best i can do in this
transaction. I will provide you with the shipping company Account
Manager information where you're to send the rest balance once the
payment is delivered to you and immediately the fund is confirmed by
the shipping company they will come with all the necessary packaging
materials to have the item packaged and picked up.Payment should be
deliver today via USPS. I'll be waiting to hear back from you soon..

Best Regards
James Robinson